Babul Supriyo on the bulk cellphone theft at Nigambodh Ghat: ‘It can’t be sadder than this’

Singer-politician-minister Babul Supriyo proved luckier than some of the other dignitaries at Arun Jaitley’s cremation on August 25.

Baabul along with ten other VIP attendees lost their cellphones.

“Luckily I had a backup phone and  all my numbers were saved. But people like Baba  Ramdev’s secretary were left without phone or numbers. In fact my own secretary lost his phone in the theft binge leaving him without all the important numbers that he needs for me,” says Baabul, sad that we’ve come to this.

“Thieves attacking people at the Ghat where people come to send off and mourn for the departed…it can’t get any sadder than this. What have we come to?” Baabul wonders.

The phones were all gone within minutes. “One after the other I could hear the  attendees exclaiming that they had lost their phones. It was bizarre. This is a very professional gang at work at the Nigambodh ghat.”

Baabul refuses to blame the police. “It was a very tight situation for them. This was no ordinary cremation and their attention was on other more immediate matters. But I’d like to remind the authorities to keep the CCTV on at all hours at the Ghat. I am sure this gang of phone snatchers has been operating at the Ghat for some time now.”

Baabul doesn’t want the phone-snatching gang to be arrested. “No! what good will that do?These are con artists. Let’s hone their talent, use it in more fruitful ways.”

For Baabul sadder than the phones being stolen at such a solemn occasion was the other menace celebrities face on such sober occasions. “People come and take selfies during the cremation. This, I find intolerable. Have we come to this level of  insensitivity? Take my phone, for God’s sake. But don’t take away the dignity and solemnity of the occasion.”